The recent change in name has been provide by Apple for developers to be able to access the files for Geo-Tagging features within their apps, such as Geo-Tagging photos and notes. The change was made when Apple added multitasking to iOS 4 last year.

If like me you are interested to see whats actually in the iOS consolidated.db files a new handy little app is available to download and read the file with your locations displayed on a map for easy reading.

The iPhoneTracker App was released this week at O’Reilly’s Where 2.0 conference and caused a huge out cry regards user privacy and prompted U.S. Senator Al Franken to write to Steve Jobs personally.

You can download the iPhoneTracker app from Pete Warden’s website. Dont worry it doesn’t record anything itself, it only displays files that are already hidden on your computer.

** Update if you have a jailbroken iPhone and would like to remove te data within the consolidated.db file there is an app for that here..

“prompted U.S. Senator Al Franken to write to Steve Jobs personally”. To say thanks I hope. This is a file that is on your own phone, that might get copied back to the PC that you choose to put your backups on and for which the primary purpose is enriching the information that applications can provide to you. Noone has suggested that the risk that the data does or even can get into the hands of someone malicious any more easily than, say, your phone contact log. Beat up! Thanks to Apple for improved functionality. Sorry to anyone who hacks my iPhone that I travel the same route to and from work everyday but hey, it’s my life.

Sgtd127

What about a program for people using PC’s and not a MAC????

IRLBio

@Grainysnaphot

Whoever hacks your iPhone now knows what hours you are not home and can plan a burglary, is one unlikely example of how this file can affect you. Saving the file locally is the dumbest thing to do with data like this, as it can very easily be accessed by a familiar third party from whom you may want to keep your movements. The issue is not that the data is being taken, its that its so easily accessible.